Regional policy coherence for resilience and sustainable development frameworks in the SADC Region

Abstract

The Southern African Development Community (SADC)'s strategic ambitions for sustainable development (SD) risk not being achieved due to competing demands from unharmonised, incoherent, and uncoordinated multiple global, regional, and national frameworks, especially those linked to disaster resilience (DR). This thesis, therefore, built its case on the conceptualisation and application of disaster resilience policy coherence (DRPC) in SADC as a guide for the formulation and implementation of coherent policies at various levels to build disaster resilience and sustainable development in the region. It establishes a framework that provides strong interrelationships among policy coherence, disaster resilience, and sustainability. The thesis has a total of seven chapters, and four of these illustrate the four main objectives of the research. The main research objective was to develop a SADC Regional disaster policy coherence framework to enhance decision-making for fostering synergies across policy areas in support of disaster resilience and SD in the region. The first objective focused on providing the conceptual understanding and application of disaster resilience policy coherence and its implications on SADC. The second objective provided an analysis of existing case studies as evidence of prevailing disaster resilience policy coherence practices in the region. The third objective proposed a SADC disaster resilience policy coherence framework towards enhancing the application and the achievement of disaster resilience policy. The fourth objective dealt with determining the relevance via an exploratory approach to reviewing monitoring, evaluation, and reporting approaches to disaster resilience policy coherence in SADC. The study was based on a non-experimental mixed methods research approach, leveraging the strengths of both qualitative and quantitative methods. Both primary and secondary data were collected via a key informant survey questionnaire (88 respondents), 45 key informant interviews (KII), and document analysis. The study respondents were SADC Member States, SADC Secretariat staff, United Nations (UN) agencies, International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs), donors, and the private sector working in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), climate change adaptation (CCA), and the SD sectors. Purposive and convenience sampling were used for the survey participants. Document analysis was employed to review 95 selected international, regional, and national policy frameworks, utilising purposive sampling within the DRR, CCA, and SD thematic areas. KII data was coded, thematically analysed, and interpreted through themes and patterns. Data from the semi-structured 4 survey questionnaire were analysed through simple descriptive analysis, thematic analysis, and narrative analysis aligned to the set research questions. This study unpacked the conceptual understanding and practical application of policy coherence within the domains of disaster resilience and sustainable development in the SADC Region. Key findings reveal that while the SADC Secretariat and Member States have made indirect efforts toward policy coherence-through regional protocols and integration strategies-these have not been substantially operationalised. Recent global and regional frameworks on DRR, CCA, and sustainable development have, however, provided an impetus for greater policy coherence within SADC's disaster resilience agenda. At the national level, Member States recognise the need for improved policy alignment, though progress remains in its initial stages. Despite being a relatively new concept in SADC, policy coherence has a solid foundation within existing strategic frameworks, offering an opportunity to harmonise policies for DRR, CCA, and SD. Achieving this requires utilising a dedicated framework as proposed to influence deliberate coordination across sectors, fostering integration between different policies, frameworks, and stakeholders. The study concluded that limited conceptual understanding, case study compilation, and Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting (MER) for disaster resilience policy coherence in SADC undermine the region's disaster resilience and sustainable development outcomes. While frameworks and projects increasingly reflect integration of DRR, CCA, and SD, persistent gaps remain, particularly in political leadership, urban resilience inclusion, and sustainable financing. The study recommends the need to strengthen national and SADC level MER linked to policy coherence processes that improve the alignment of global MER with MS and SADC disaster resilience strategies and promote a more integrated approach to CCA, DRR, and SD.